from the little girl who never dreamt of her Barbie playing president

America needs every one of us to lend our energy, our talents, our ambition to making our nation better and stronger. I believe that with all my heart. That’s why ‘Stronger Together’ is not just a lesson from our history. It’s not just a slogan for our campaign. It’s a guiding principle for the country we’ve always been and the future we’re going to build… A country where all our children can dream, and those dreams are within reach. Where families are strong, communities are safe, and yes, love trumps hate. That’s the country we’re fighting for. That’s the future we’re working toward. And so it is with humility, determination, and boundless confidence in America’s promise that I accept your nomination for President of the United States.—Hillary Clinton, DNC 2016

As a child, I loved Barbie’s. I had a pink Cadillac, wedding dresses, a Skipper in a slightly psychedelic dress that came with hair gel… I have a sister 20 months younger than me and she had her own Barbie’s so we had plenty of possible scenarios to play out. We would set up a Barbie world in my room where they would have their own “homes”, another room would become a “mall”, there would be teachers, dance instructors, and the Ken’s were not in charge, the Barbie’s and Skipper’s were. The young budding feminist I was, I rarely orchestrated a wedding for Barbie and Ken (Skipper was too young).

With all the creativity and dreaming, I never had a political Barbie. Never did I create a scenario where Barbie ran for President. It was beyond comprehension for me. I know they had made Presidential Barbie, but that wasn’t the direction I went in. I wasn’t able to dream that possibility even with my giant imagination.

Around the same time I was playing with Barbie’s Washington state elected Patty Murray (“a mom in tennis shoes”) to the United States Senate in 1992 as part of the wave of women after Anita Hill. Strong women have been politically visible in my state of Washington especially when Christine Gregoire became the governor when I was in college. We also have United States Senator Maria Cantwell and countless women (not to the point of parity) in political offices at all levels. But the most visible political office for a child is the presidency.

Tonight, we’ve reached a milestone in our nation’s march toward a more perfect union: the first time that a major party has nominated a woman for president. Standing here as my mother’s daughter, and my daughter’s mother, I’m so happy this day has come. Happy for grandmothers and little girls and everyone in between. Happy for boys and men, too – because when any barrier falls in America, for anyone, it clears the way for everyone. When there are no ceilings, the sky’s the limit. So let’s keep going, until every one of the 161 million women and girls across America has the opportunity she deserves.—Hillary Clinton, DNC 2016

8 years ago I was finishing my undergraduate degree and supporting Barrack Obama. I had struggled between Hillary and Obama in the primaries, but ultimately, I went with Obama (yet retained a sense of guilt). For times such as these, Obama has done amazing these past 8 years and I think that Hillary is more poised than ever to run now.

As the past few months have gone by, many people assumed I was a Bernie Sanders supporter, but I was a diehard Hillz fan. I bought a Women’s Card when it first came out. I quietly read Hillary articles, spoke with my friends, tried to avoid the wrath of the people who questioned my judgment. I had never felt so protective of a candidate before and finally I started to become more public about my support. I caucused in Washington state for Hillary Clinton and even spoke about her to my peers, debating a few of them.

This isn’t the post where I am going to state why I support Hillary Clinton, it’s not just because she is a woman, she is the most qualified candidate we’ve seen in decades. I could talk about how her Methodist upbringing mirrors my own, how her sense of vocation is linked with her faith, and I see her living her faith whenever she takes action.

Last night I watched Hillary Clinton accept the democratic nomination for President of the United States. As I watched with my parents, my eyes welled up (multiple times) because for the first time in my life, I could relate with a presidential nominee. Her early life story aligned with mine, her sense of faith and seeking justice mirrors with my own, and I started seeing stories of my friends who have girls, who saw what I didn’t get to see. Girls around the world have seen something that I didn’t witness until an adult. They will grow up in a world with one less glass ceiling.

If I was a little girl today, today is the day that my Barbie would be nominated for the presidency. She would be running as a democrat and she would win. I hope that today, the little girls and boys everywhere don’t have to use their imaginations to envision a woman president because now they can now see it in action.

Freedom and equality, justice and opportunity. We should be so proud that these words are associated with us. That when people hear them, they hear America. So don’t let anyone tell you that our country is weak. We’re not. Don’t let anyone tell you we don’t have what it takes. We do.—Hillary Clinton, DNC 2016